Kumpalume firing from Malawi Cabinet stun health activists

Health activists and some sections of Malawians say they are stunned with the firing of Health minister Peter Kumpalume whom they described as hard working.

Jobe: Kumpalume was star performer

Malawi Equity Health Network executive director George Jobe described the performance of Kumpalume when he was minister of Health as above average.

Kumpalume has been replaced with Atupele Muluzi.

“He fought drug pilferage and corruption in the ministry,” said Jobe.

President Peter Mutharika fired Kumpalume, who is Blantyre Rural West MP and Vincent Ghambi from the major cabinet reshuffle since the president came to power in 2014.

Ninety person of people who made texts to MIJ Radio on Tuesday said they were not happy with the decision by Mutharika to drop Kumpalume, who also scored highly during Sunday Times cabinet assessment just a few months ago.

Maziko Matemba, another health activist said Kumpalume was a star performer compared to others who have been retained in the 21 member cabinet.

Esmie Mkamanga, a political and social commentator said Malawians should not expect any changes on socio-economic issues as the new cabinet involves same old faces who have just been shifted around in the same cabinet.

Mustafa Hussein, a political scientist at Chancellor College hoped the new cabinet would deliver.

“It is up to the ministers to have a cordial relationship with their principal secretaries for the government to deliver. But it is a
surprise that Kumpalume has been fired, may be am biased but I saw him as a hard worker,” said Hussein.

Some Malawians taking up in social media, expressed surprise at Mutharika’s decision to kick out of cabinet Kumpalume, a youthful
cabinet minister.